The THAADS system is produced by top defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT).

The U.S. has deployed the THAADS interceptor trucks to Guam.
[Image Source: Lockheed Martin]

While U.S. defense experts doubt North Korea would be able to hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear missile, Guam -- 2,000 away from the hostile Asian dictatorship -- might be a slightly more feasible target. Both South Korea and Japan have extensive interceptor systems, which are likely on high alert.

U.S. ally Israel provided the most impressive real-world demonstration of a missile-interception system to date. Its "Iron Dome" system shot down approximately 9 out of 10 missiles that were headed towards a populated region. Past interceptor systems used in the Persian Gulf conflicts by the U.S. had lower success rates.

Ballistic missile interception is a more unproven art. Ballistic missiles are bigger (and hence a bigger target), but are also generally faster than the kind of small rockets Iron Dome or Patriot-missile (U.S.) interceptor systems target. Israel has an interceptor system of its own dubbed Arrow, which the U.S. co-founded and shares technology from. Fortunately, that system has never been called upon in a real war scenario.

The same planet from which DailyTech is also reporting, e.g. last week:

quote: The threat is the latest in a series of jabs between the U.S. and the defiant Asian military dictatorship. Following its decision to scrap the armistice, the U.S. conducted war games in SK. NK responded by cutting a key phone line used as one of the only diplomatic channels between the North and the South. In an apparent response to the line cutting, the U.S. proceeded with a test of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers over North Korea, which according to U.S. Forces Korea "demonstrates the United States' ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will."

Letting your Airforce enter the Airspace of an enemy country isn't exactly known as softspoken diplomacy. The above chain of events is the exact definition of an escalation, whenever NK barks, the US and SK bark back. Because everybody knows that the best way to react to a idiot waving his gun angrily is to wave your own gun angrily back at him.

quote: Letting your Airforce enter the Airspace of an enemy country isn't exactly known as softspoken diplomacy. The above chain of events is the exact definition of an escalation, whenever NK barks, the US and SK bark back. Because everybody knows that the best way to react to a idiot waving his gun angrily is to wave your own gun angrily back at him.

I'm not aware of any airforce entering an enemy country, do you mean the US airforce operating in its south korean ally's airspace as part of a pre-planned annual exercise which has been held for the last umpteen years?

That is not in any way an escalation of anything and neither is stating you will "defend" yourself or your ally, the only part escalting anything here is NK with its threats and war rhetoric.

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